Fiscal Year 2024
During the 2024 investors update, Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association CEO Mike Knetter and President and Chief Advancement Officer Alisa Robertson ’94, MBA’03 reviewed the organization’s successes in the previous fiscal year and looked ahead to 2025. “Fiscal year 2023–24 was our second-best fundraising year in our history,” said Robertson. “We closed the year with $529.6 million in new gifts and pledges, which greatly exceeded our performance goal.”
WFAA’s investments also performed well. “At the close of fiscal year ’24, the market value of our endowment stood at $4.3 billion, near an all-time high,” Knetter said. “In addition to new funds flowing in, our performance for the year returned 14.7 percent.”
Knetter and Robertson also discussed a coming change in leadership. In January 2025, Robertson will become CEO while Knetter transitions into a new role focused on investments. Robertson thanked Knetter for his 14 years of leadership at WFAA and emphasized her determination to ensure that the organization is prepared for the future. “The world is changing around us pretty quickly,” she said. “We need to keep moving and evolving and changing in our business.”
Watch the video below to learn more about WFAA’s investments and UW–Madison’s priorities.
Key Figures
In the last year, UW–Madison has accomplished great things with the help of philanthropic support. Here’s a snapshot of some of the university’s highlights.
79,742 Gifts
In the last year, generous donors have given 79,742 new gifts and pledges.
300+ New Doctors
The UW’s Wisconsin Academy for Rural Medicine has placed more than 300 physicians in rural communities. The program began in 2007 to address shortages and train students to meet the needs of medically underserved areas.
0 Debt
Sixty-five percent of UW–Madison seniors are graduating without any student-loan debt. That’s the highest share in recent decades.
395,000 Square Feet
The forthcoming Phillip A. Levy Engineering Center will have 395,000 square feet to work in. As one of UW–Madison’s fastest-growing schools, continued investment in the College of Engineering will support the growing demand for skilled engineers in Wisconsin. The building’s construction will begin in 2025.
1 New Voyager
Political scientist and aspiring educator Zoe Kukla x’26 was the first Badger to be awarded the prestigious Voyager Scholarship. Her public advocacy project takes what she’s learned at the UW into the world as she advocates for expanded childhood literacy.
6,638 Endowments at Work
Bringing the best people to learn, work, and teach at the UW is possible because of endowed funds. Endowed funds are designed to support the university in perpetuity, ensuring that donor impact lasts for generations.
65,933 UW Hopefuls
A record number of applicants sought admission to UW–Madison this year. The UW’s reputation for world-class education, cutting-edge research, and an unparalleled student experience persists.
8,586 New Alumni
In May 2024, Camp Randall hosted the commencement ceremony for the largest graduating class in the university’s history.
50 Years of Women’s Sports
The 1974-75 academic year was the first to include intercollegiate women’s sports at UW–Madison. Since then, these programs have won national championships, set records, and inspired generations of Badger athletes.
639,000 Magazines
A commemorative magazine celebrating UW–Madison’s impact on the state was sent to 639,000 households across Wisconsin, reaching readers through 170 newspapers statewide.
Previous Reports
- 2021-22 Annual Report (PDF)
- 2020-21 Annual Report (PDF)